Palestine and COVID-19: The Occupation
Opinion Piece by Tala Otaibi, Staff Writer
September 22nd, 2020
As many of us in this generation may, or arguably should have, learned from our history books and from our grandparents testimonies and stories, the Zionist state emerged in 1948 following effort from Britain and its allies. After the First World War, Palestine was seized by the British government. In 1917, the very famous Balfour statement first paved the way for israel’s formation. The formation of israel gave no importance nor regard to the political or national rights of Palestinian citizens. In the 1948 war alone, over 700,000 members of the Palestinian community were forcefully displaced. Thousands and thousands more were displaced or were victims of the ethnic genocide since then. In the decades since 1948, multiple wars and refuge incidents have occurred. The people of Palestine have suffered tirelessly over the last several decades as Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza were, and continue to be, occupied.
As a result of the ongoing war, the healthcare system of the Palestinian people has been left in a chronic state of chaos. In the late 90s, the health system was “given” to the Palestinian Authority (PA), as a result of the ‘peace process’ associated with the Oslo Accords and the interim procedures. However, this handing over proved to be only for show. The health system was still under the control of israel. The israeli occupational state possessed control over budgeting, permits, and pharmaceutical procedures. Due to the ongoing occupation and control, healthcare became increasingly inaccessible to those who needed it the most in Palestine. Most of the clinics found in the West Bank are arguably strategically placed in the Northern regions, resulting in the critical case where the clinics are isolated due to the “wall” in between the areas.
For Palestinians who wish to seek essential care that is not provided in the West Bank, they are required to apply for permits and seek the treatment needed within israeli territory. The concerns nd issue with this is that there is often a substantial amount of delays in receiving the permits. Several applications are even rejected without reason cited. Furthermore, much of the clinics are held within school buildings. Thus, examination rooms, privacy, and adequate care are not provided in an appropriate manner to those who essentially need it, but nevertheless all others including, who all have the human right to obtain it.
Many of those residing in Palestine have little to no healthcare insurance. Consequently, they are unable to receive regular medical care. They are unable to receive checkups regularly. Only those with serious and chronic illnesses and conditions are seeking medical care. Children and adults are only seeking care when they reach very late stages of their conditions due to the lack of alternatives.
Tackling the situation in Palestine with regards to healthcare is far from simple, as majority of the cases with Palestine. Inadequate healthcare already poses a great threat on all those who do not receive the proper care they need. The israeli occupation shows no mercy to the victims of this ongoing conflict and shows no regard to their basic human rights and needs. The current Palestinian situation is dire enough as it is, and with the outbreak of the COVID19 pandemic, the Palestinian people are in need of more help than ever.
Currently, there have been a total of 33,843 cases of COVID-19 in Palestine as of writing, with circa 244 deaths. However, Palestine has seen a substantial rise in the number of cases beginning in July. Now, in September, cases are close to reaching a thousand on a daily basis. The number of deaths has been rising over the last two months simultaneously.
The coronavirus has not been kind to the world over the last several months. It has taken away too many lives to count. Nevertheless, the Palestinian people have been victims of the occupation for far longer than that. Who knows how the COVID situation would have been for the Palestinians had it not been for the inadequate healthcare provided to them? Who knows how their situation could have been had it not been for the terrible conditions that they have lived through over the last 72 years as a result of the occupational genocide?
The people of Palestine deserve better. They deserve less walls and more adequate clinics that will care for them before their conditions worsen to the point of no return. They deserve more rights and a better chance at fighting a global pandemic. The Palestinian fight will never end.